A crewless robotic boat retracing the 1620 sea voyage of the Mayflower has landed near Plymouth Rock. The sleek Mayflower Autonomous Ship met with an escort boat as it approached the Massachusetts shoreline Thursday, more than 400 years after its namesake's historic journey from England. It was towed into Plymouth Harbor -- per U.S. Coast Guard rules for crewless vessels -- and docked near a replica of the original Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims to America. Piloted by artificial intelligence technology, the 50-foot (15-meter) trimaran didn't have a captain, navigator or any humans on board. The solar-powered ship's first attempt to cross the Atlantic in 2021 was beset with technical problems, forcing it back to its home port of Plymouth, England -- the same place the Pilgrim settlers sailed from in 1620.

A robotic recreation of the 17th century Mayflower ship has finally completed a 3,500 journey across the Atlantic Ocean, in 40 days. Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) – a 50-foot-long autonomous research vessel piloted by artificial intelligence (AI) – arrived in Halifax, Canada on Sunday (June 5). MAS, which carried no humans on board and relied on artificial intelligence, had set sail from Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, England in the early hours of April 27. The ship was smooth sailing until the second week of May when a generator issue diverted it to Portugal's Azores islands so a team member could fly in to do repairs. During the latter stages of the journey the decision was made to head to Halifax – as opposed to Virginia as previously planned – due to more mechanical issues.

A robotic recreation of the 17th century Mayflower ship has set sail for US shores once more after a failed first attempt last year. Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) – a 50-foot-long autonomous research vessel piloted by artificial intelligence (AI) – departed from Plymouth, England on Wednesday (April 27). If all goes to plan, the £1 million ($1.3 million) ship will reach Virginia in about three weeks, and in the process become the largest autonomous vessel to ever cross the Atlantic. With no humans on board the ship, it relies on AI to make decisions and look out for potential obstacles in the water. MAS was built to recreate the original Mayflower's historic journey from England to the New World more than 400 years ago.

"Seagulls," said Andy Stanford-Clark, excitedly. In fact, you can totally ignore them." Stanford-Clark, the chief technology officer for IBM in the U.K. and Ireland, was exuding nervous energy. It was the afternoon before the morning when, at 4 a.m. British Summer Time, IBM's Mayflower Autonomous Ship -- a crewless, fully autonomous trimaran piloted entirely by IBM's A.I., and built by non-profit ocean research company ProMare -- was set to commence its voyage from Plymouth, England. to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. And now, after countless tests and hundreds of thousands of hours of simulation training, it was about to set sail for real. Stanford-Clark was running through the potential risks. Seagulls, he pointed out, were something of a false alarm. From an image-recognition perspective, they were a challenge because they had a tendency of getting right up in the camera lens so that they looked like enormous winged obstacles that needed to be avoided at all costs. But they had a tendency ...

IBM's fully-autonomous edge AI-powered ship Mayflower has set off on its crewless voyage from Plymouth, UK to Plymouth, USA. The ship is named after the Mayflower vessel which transported pilgrim settlers from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. On its 400th anniversary, it was decided that a Mayflower for the 21st century should be built. Mayflower 2.0 is a truly modern vessel packed with the latest technological advancements. Onboard edge AI computing enables the ship to carry out scientific research while navigating the harsh environment of the ocean--often without any connectivity.

Another ship called the Mayflower is set to make its way across the Atlantic Ocean this week, but it won't be carrying English pilgrims -- or any people -- at all. When the Mayflower Autonomous Ship leaves its home port in Plymouth, England to attempt the world's first fully autonomous transatlantic voyage, it will have a highly trained "captain" and a "navigator" versed in the rules of avoiding collisions at sea on board, both controlled by artificial intelligence (AI). The ship's AI captain was developed by Marine AI and is guided by an expert system based on IBM technologies, including automation software widely used by the financial sector. The technology could someday help crewed vessels navigate difficult situations and facilitate low-cost exploration of the oceans that cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Over its roughly three-week trip, the Mayflower sea drone will sail through the Isles of Scilly and over the site of the lost Titanic to land in Plymouth, Massachusetts, as the colonists on the first Mayflower did more than 400 years ago.

The world's first fully autonomous ship is set to make its maiden voyage across the Atlantic next month. Inspired by the ship that brought the Pilgrims to North America, 'Mayflower 400' will be guided by artificial intelligence rather than a human crew. If all goes well, it will depart from Plymouth, England on May 15 and arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 3,000 miles and two weeks later. The original Mayflower, which transported 102 Pilgrims and other passengers, took 10 weeks to reach its destination in 1620. Mayflower 400 was set to embark on its transatlantic cruise last September for the Mayflower's 400th anniversary, but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

An autonomous version of the historical Mayflower ship that's powered by artificial intelligence (AI) is set to make is maiden voyage across the Atlantic next month. On April 19, Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will depart from Plymouth, England and arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts about 3,000 miles and two weeks later. The original ship, which transported 102 passengers known as the Pilgrims, took 10 weeks to reach its destination in the autumn of 1620. The new 50-foot ship, which won't carry any human passengers or even crew, will roughly take the same route as its predecessor. When they set sail from Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620, the Pilgrims were escaping religious persecution and sought to establish a settlement in the New World.

A high-tech ship is marking the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower -- the ship that carried a group of European settlers to North America. The famous trip prepared the way for England's colonization of what Europeans in 1620 called the New World. The anniversary was marked this week in Plymouth, England – the starting point for the historic Mayflower crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Local officials gathered with sea travelers and scientists for the launch of the new ship. It is called the Mayflower Autonomous Ship.

In September 1620, a wooden ship called the Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers across the Atlantic on a history-making voyage. This week, another Mayflower debuted at the same port--but unlike its predecessor, the new vessel has no human crew, passengers or captain, reports Jill Lawless for the Associated Press. Created by marine research organization ProMare and tech company IBM, the modern ship is piloted entirely by artificial intelligence (A.I.). Soon, it will embark for Cape Cod, Massachusetts, powered by the sun and wind as it undertakes a pioneering research expedition. Originally slated to complete its trip this year, the A.I.-driven Mayflower Autonomous Ship will undergo six months of trials before attempting a trans-Atlantic voyage in spring 2021.